The Judas Relic: An Evangeline Heart Holiday Adventure by A.K. Alexander, Jen Greyson Page A

here for another hour slamming drinks, I’d still be able to fully assess anyone in a split-second.
    The bartender brought our drinks and I swirled the sipping tequila in the glass. He lifted his glass in a toast. “To beautiful ladies and fine alcohol.” On any other night I wouldn’t have given this guy the time of day, but he was easy on the eyes and I didn’t mind the company. I felt bad leading him on because I was most definitely not going home with him tonight. But I didn’t feel badly enough to care when he ordered another round.
    He sipped his drink and cradled the tumbler between his hands. “Dare I ask what a pretty lady is doing here drinking alone?”
    What would have been a creepy line from anyone else came off as charming and genuine from him. So I answered in kind. “A funeral left me both alone and with a deep desire to get loaded.” I gave him a rueful grin and took a healthy swallow of the tequila.
    He touched the rim of his glass to mine. “To the deceased. May they live on in our hearts.”
    I swallowed the emotion and nodded once. “Realistically, that’s the only place they do live on, isn’t it?”
    He took another drink. “Heavy conversation for the setting, my dear.”
    I shrugged. “Heavy conversation for any setting, don’t you think?”
    He drained his glass and set it loudly on the bar. “No belief in heaven then? Archangels, God, Metatron, Sandalphon? Are those fairy tales to you?”
    My breath stilled and I flattened my palms against the bar to quell the tremor he’d just sent through my body. Most people when bringing up God didn’t go straight to Metatron or Sandalphon. At least not anyone beyond my parents, and their interest in archangels had been founded in a lifetime of research and study. I didn’t like that I’d prayed to both less than an hour ago and I hadn’t checked my apartment for bugs since before Griffin’s murder.  
    Something wasn’t right here. Had I been way off in my assessment of him? If so, I really hoped it wasn’t about to get me killed. I eased my feet to the floor and slid one hand to my stomach, inches from my piece. Thank god I hadn’t been stupid enough to forget that, though I really didn’t want to start a shootout in a crowded bar either.  
    “What did you say?”
    He turned on his stool, made a big production of looking at my hand placement, then lifted his gaze to mine. “Archangels. Ever heard of them?”
    More than I cared to let on right now. My preference was to turn and walk slowly out of the bar with the hope that I’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and this attractive gentleman wasn’t anything more than a crazy loon. Never mind that my life never, ever worked that way.
    I nodded toward Pete, who’d come to ask if we wanted another round. “Thanks for the drink, but I’m headed out.” He gathered our empty glasses and left. I turned my attention back to my companion and tried to get a new read on him. Nothing about him had changed. I didn’t see the bulge of a weapon beneath his coat, didn’t get a single hint that he wanted to do me harm. For all I could tell, he was a normal guy out hitting on random girls. I inclined my head slightly.  
    “Thank you for your company.”
    I stepped away from him and froze.
    But then … so had the entire room.

    Chapter Three

    I slowly rotated back toward the guy. He smiled at me and crossed his arms over his chest. We were the only two in the room not frozen. And I meant that in the most literal sense possible. Every single person in the room stood still as statues. That was such a stupid cliché, but they were the only words I had. Pete was bent over, setting our dirty glasses in the gray bin filled with others. The woman two seats down was leaning over to talk to a younger man, her hand flirtatiously wrapped around his forearm. I scanned the room, noting the posture of everyone in it, but having not a single explanation.
    I turned to him. “What in the